Back When | History Podcast

In Liverpool in the 1950s two teenagers began writing music in their bedrooms. They went on to provide the soundtrack to the 1960s and change the face of popular culture forever.

They were Paul McCartney and John Lennon and their four-piece rock and roll band was of course The Beatles.
Join Curator James Grasby to unlock the iconic group’s origin story. 
How do humble acts of creativity at home lead to great things? To find out, we’re behind the scenes at the childhood homes of Sir Paul McCartney and John Lennon at Forthlin Road and Mendips in Liverpool. Here, Paul and John grew up, fell in love with music and wrote The Beatles’ first hits.   
A note for listeners, a version of this episode first aired on the National Trust Podcast in 2019. 
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company.  Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.   
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Production:
Host: James Grasby
Producer: Sean Douglas
Discover More:  
Discover more: Find out about tours to the Beatles’ Childhood Homes, cared for by the National Trust https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/liverpool-lancashire/the-beatles-childhood-homes

In this bonus episode, discover how Kingston Lacy, a grand 17th-century Italianate country house and expansive estate in Dorset is connected with one of the ancient wonders of the world: the city of Petra in Jordan.  

Join James Grasby, as we meet the people working tirelessly to protect and rehabilitate heritage in the face of immense challenges, including climate change.

From the rose-red stones of Petra to William Bankes’ passion for exploration at Kingston Lacy, to the UNESCO city As Salt, and the leafy Oxfordshire countryside, we go behind the scenes with the quiet heroes who safeguard our shared past and carry it forward for future generations.

INTO’s Withstanding Change project connected teams from Petra National Trust (PNT) and the National Trust’s Buscot and Coleshill Estate and earlier this year, they met face to face. Hear about the collaboration which helped them to reach their respective communities through cultural and heritage skills education.

We’re taking a few weeks off over the festive period and will be back in the new year with our usual Back When episodes.   

[Ad] This episode was brought to you by the International National Trusts Organisation, also known as INTO.  INTO is a global network which brings together heritage organisations from all across the world, working collectively to protect and celebrate cultural and natural heritage.  www.into.org

This recording was made possible through INTO’s Withstanding Change project which has been funded by the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund. The project helps communities and places adapt to climate change through restoring and safeguarding heritage.  Learn more:  https://cultural-protection-fund.britishcouncil.org

Producer: Jesse Edbrooke

Presenter: James Grasby

Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez

Discover More:

Read more about Petra, As-Salt and the Petra National Trust by clicking the following link:  https://petranationaltrust.org

Read more about Kingston Lacey here:

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/dorset/kingston-lacy

Read more about Coleshill and Buscott and the heritage skills centre here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/oxfordshire-buckinghamshire-berkshire/heritage-and-rural-skills-centre

The National Trust cares for places so people and nature can thrive. Everyone can get involved, everyone can make a difference. Nature, beauty, history. For everyone, for ever. You can donate to us at https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/donate

If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story idea, you can contact us at [email protected]

Why is a semi-detached house in Nottinghamshire frozen in time? 

Join us on a visit to 7 Blythe Grove in Worksop, or Mr Straw’s House as it’s now known, to tour the rooms that have barely changed since the 1930’s.

Discover more about the family who lived there, and why they chose to live in a bygone era, long after the world around them had changed. 
 
[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company.  Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.   
Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk

Production
Presenter: James Grasby 
Producer: Claire Hickinbotham 
Sound: Jesus Gomez

Contributors
With thanks to the staff and volunteers at Mr Straw's House

Discover More
If you’d like to visit Mr Straw’s house, you’ll need to book. You can do that up to 4 weeks in advance. Mr Straw's House | Nottinghamshire | National Trust 

The collection of their belongings is fascinating. Here are some of the things you’ll be able to see Collection highlights at Mr Straw’s House | National Trust 

There’s also space outside to enjoy, and you could take a walk around Worksop, just as the Straw sons did every Sunday. There are details of how to book onto a monthly walk here The garden at Mr Straw’s House | Notts | National Trust 
 
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]

Warning: Please be advised that this episode contains content that may be upsetting to some listeners

Queen Victoria’s grief not only shaped her own reign but also inspired the Victorian era’s deep fascination with death and mourning.

Join James Grasby and curator Clara Woolford as they uncover how funerary practices, attitudes toward the dead, and one monarch’s sorrow came to define an age.

[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company.  Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.   

Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk

 

Production:

Host: James Grasby

Producer: Pippa Tilbury-Harris & Michelle Douglass

Sound Editor: Jesus Gomez   

Contributor:

Clara Woolford



Discover More:  

You can learn more about Victorian life with a visit to Cragside in Northumberland:

Cragside | Northumberland | National Trust

If you’d like to get in touch with feedback or a story idea you can contact us at 

[email protected]

What happened to the animals who served in the First World War?  

Uncover the extraordinary story of Warrior the war horse who survived the Western Front. General Jack Seely's horse, Warrior, was anything but ordinary. He carried his master through some of World War One's most brutal battles, including the Somme, Ypres and Passchendaele. 

Despite more than eight million horses, donkeys and mules losing their lives during the war, Warrior somehow survived. 

Join General Jack Seely's grandson and broadcaster, Brough Scott and historian, James Grasby, to retrace Warrior's incredible journey.

 

[Ad] This podcast is sponsored by CEWE, Europe’s leading photo printing company.  Every image you capture tells a story. Discover ideas for curating your special memories and creating gifts for loved ones. From the award-winning CEWE PHOTOBOOK to wall art made from your favourite photos.   Start creating your story at www.cewe.co.uk

Watch a video of this podcast on the National Trust’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nationaltrustcharity/podcasts

Production

Host : James Grasby

Producer and sound designer: Nikki Ruck

Contributors

Brough Scott

Discover more

To visit Mottistone

Mottistone

To find out more about Warrior

Warrior The War Horse

If you would like to follow in the footsteps of warrior

Warrior Trail

If you’d like to get in touch with feedback or a story idea you can contact us at [email protected]